Now, keep your salt shakers ready! But according to a rumor which was first reported by the Weekly Planet Podcast on YouTube (and subsequently picked up by several websites) an inside source told them that Matt Smith will play none other than a young Sheev Palpatine in Episode IX. Now what could that be? Flashback? A Clone? Or maybe just yet another baseless rumor? At least the source is not Mike Zeroh 😉
What do you think? Would you like to see Palpatine in Episode IX? Should he teach Kylo Ren a thing or two about being the Evil Lord of the galaxy?

Star Wars Episode IX will hit theaters in 14 months from now. Filming is underway, some set photos have been leaked, but other than more or less unsubstantiated rumors we know next to nothing about the actual plot of the movie. And in true JJ Abrams fashion this will probably not change until the release date.

Ever since Billy Dee Williams was announced as a cast member for Episode IX fans were concerned in what shape Williams would be for the movie, considering his health and age. Well, it seems Billy Dee is in great shape, he has a personal trainer who works with him and Billy Dee Williams posted a short video on his Twitter feed earlier today where you can see him working out and boxing. So whatever Lando will do in Episode IX, he won’t just have to sit or lean against a wall. Maybe he can punch some sense into Kylo Ren? Go to Twitter to see the short clip!

Former Doctor Who star Matt Smith has joined the cast of Episode IX. Nothing is known about his role yet, but Matt Smith is joining an ever expanding cast list. Dominic Monaghan (Lost, Lord of the Rings) was also announced as yet another cast member. It seems Episode IX might have a quite expansive cast list, of course both Smith and Monaghan could only be seen in smaller roles. We’ll learn more about that eventually.

What are your thoughts? Are you excited for Matt Smith and Dominic Monbaghan to join the Star Wars franchise? Smith, after his time with Doctor Who, also starred in the ill fated Terminator Genisys with Emilia Clarke, so he’s not new to Hollywood SciFi blockbusters.

Some photos from the filming of Episode IX have appeared on the web. You can get a good look at Poe Dameron, Finn and Chewbacca as well as some extras (?). Get a first glimpse of what we might be getting as action figures in late 2019, early 2020 for Poe and Finn. Only click through if you want to see some of photos from the Episode IX set! Don’t click through and ignore this article if photos of Oscar Isaac and John Boyega in their Episode IX outfits will spoil things too much for you! You are warned!

Director J.J. Abrams posted a very first photo from the set of Episode IX earlier today on Twitter. It doesn’t reveal or show much really, but still, it’s evidence that filming has begun. Now J.J. has the momumental task ahead of him to deliver the grand finale to the Skywalker saga. What you see in the photo is the camera rig and if you squint very hard it may very well be that John Boyega and some other person (Daisy Ridley?) are in the cockpit of what could be the Millennium Falcon. It also seems Finn finally got rid rid of his leather jacket, I wonder what Poe thinks about that!

Filming officially begins August 1st for Episode IX, and casting details have been revealed. It looks like we will be getting Carrie Fisher after all, along with Mark Hamill and Billy Dee Williams. Get the full details over at StarWars.com!

Greg Grunberg more or less confirmed in an interview with Yahoo that he’s back for Episode IX. His character Snap Wexley was absent in The Last Jedi, but as it seems there can’t be a JJ Abrams movie without his buddy Greg. Also: after The Last Jedi the Resistance can use any help it can get. You can watch the very short (less than 30 seconds) interview snippet with Greg on Yahoo.

Yes, it’s true. The beard is no more. Mark Hamill posted a photo of a new gift he received from Sideshow Collectibles (a Joker cane) on Twitter and in the photo you can see a clean shaven Mark (makes him look 20 years younger). Now, what could that mean? Flashback scene in IX with a digitally de-aged Mark Hamill (think Michael Douglas in Ant-Man)? Maybe all of IX will be a flashback? Maybe Force ghosts have no beards (shut up, Obi-Wan!) or maybe Mark just learned his services are no longer needed, now that Lando will steal the show? Let the speculations begin! 😉

Hollywood Reporter (as well as several other entertainment websites) has just released an article which officially confirms that Billy Dee Williams will reprise his role as Lando Calrissian in Episode IX. Rumors were spreading a few days ago already, when Billy Dee had to cancel a convention appearence due to a scheduling conflict. Now that it is official, what do you want Lando to do in IX? Do you think he will have a somewhat larger role? Are you happy and excited a beloved Original Trilogy character finally gets an appearance in the Sequel Trilogy? This is something fans have been asking for since The Force Awakens.

The Saskatchewan Entertainment Expo made the most curious announcement on their Facebook page. Billy Dee Williams was supposed to be a guest this year. But his appearance has been canceled due to a “film schedule conflict”. Hmmmm. What can that possibly mean?

And then discuss whether or not you’re excited for Lando in Episode IX! Will he kamikaze the Falcon with Nien Nunb and Chewbacca as his co-pilots and 3PO and R2 in the back into Starkiller Base 2.0 or will he do what any sensible person would do, and put Kylo Ren across his knee for being a very naughty boy and killing Han for the entire duration of the movie?

Ever since the new wave of Star Wars movies were released fans have been debating about the new characters, the heroes and the villains – but it is especially Rey who is scrutinized and sometimes unfairly criticized as being a Mary Sue. However, there’s still this feeling by quite a few fans that Rey lacks something. Or does she? And if she does, what is it? Click through for a closer look at Star Wars heroes!

Even though Solo is currently in cinemas and dominates the news, there is some Episode IX tidbit today. Colin Trevorrow, who was originally slated to direct Episode IX, has recently given an interview to Empire Magazine. And while he did not go into details, he had at least something to say about his work for Lucasfilm and his version of Episode IX. And then Colin Trevorrow tweeted something that might let us all know what he thinks of current Star Wars. Mark Hamill chimed in too! Click through for more details.

JJ Abrams revealed on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert yesterday that the script for Star Wars Episode IX is complete.

Imaginary re-enactment of the script writing process

Now, whether that is just the first draft or the actual shooting script is not confirmed. Filming for Episode IX is scheduled to begin in July 2018. So there would still be enough time to tweak the script.

One quote from Abrams’ interview stands out: “Having a script in advance is something we haven’t always been lucky enough to have.”

What are your hopes and fears concerning Episode IX? Do you think JJ Abrams and Chris Terrio can bring the sequel trilogy to a satisfying conclusion? What’s your wishlist of things you’d like to see, or maybe you’d rather not see at all?
And: will JJ Abrams somehow include a scene with a sail barge in the script?

Well, we have all heard by now that JJ Abrams has taken over for Colin Trevorrow as the Director of Episode IX, but THR also found out that he basically screwed over Paramount and a 10-Million Dollar obligation in order to take on the Star Wars project. You can read more about it at TheHollywoodReporter.com. Geeze, drama has become constanty associated with Disney’s Star Wars movies! (although TLJ has been pretty smooth, knock on wood!)

Colin Trevorrow’s dismissal from Star Wars: Episode IX has left Lucasfilm and Kathleen Kennedy searching for a replacement, and it looks like they may turn to a familiar face. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rian Johnson and J.J. Abrams are the top choices to replace Trevorrow. Furthermore, their sources indicate that continued issues with the script led to the Trevorrow’s dismissal. At the moment, Rian Johnson seems like the most likely candidate. Johnson is a well respected writer and may be better suited to finish the script. The word is that Johnson was a perfect fit for The Last Jedi and had a seamless working relationship with Lucasfilm. It makes sense that Lucasfilm would want to work with him again. What do you think about the possibility of Rian Johnson or J.J. Abrams returning to direct Episode IX? Let us Know!

This is what happens when a vision becomes a fabrication. Colin Trevorrow is OUT as director for Episode IX. Every last Disney Star Wars film has experienced turmoil. Now the second Disney Star Wars film has had a director replaced. This should come as no surprise, but dang if this isn’t shocking!

The Hollywood Reporter has published an exclusive story that goes on to explain that British writer Jack Thorne will retool the treatment/script that was written by Trevorrow and his writing partner. According to the article sources say “a fresh pair of eyes was needed”. Uh-oh. Better get Maaco! Check it out and let us know your thoughts. Fake news? Or a shovel of truth to the face?

Recently, Trevorrow’s newest film The Book of Henry was screened in Italy at the Ischia Global Film Festival where he received the ‘Breakout Director’ Award. This had a lot of critics and fans alike on edge after the poor reviews and the question was brought up once again; Is Trevorrow the right man for the job? The Hollywood Reporter recently sat down with the director, click through to see what he has to say.

The Irish Examiner published a couple of articles where Colin Trevorrow made some brief comments on Star Wars: Episode IX when he was speaking with the press association for his latest film, The Book of Henry. Click through to see what the Episode XI Director had to say about our dear Princess.

Seems as though Colin Trevorrow followed in Rian Johnson’s footsteps and asked for a small favor of the current Star Wars director. Just as Rian Johnson asked J.J. Abrams to have R2-D2 go with Rey to Ach-To and leave BB-8 behind, Colin Trevorrow asked Johnson for a similar favor. Click through to find out more.

The Hollywood Reporter has posted an article which ushers in concern for Star Wars Episode IX based on director Colin Trevorrow’s critically panned The Book of Henry. Apparently the film is so bad that the critics couldn’t stop laughing. And we know how disastrous the Jurassic World reboot film was. Should Star Wars fans be concerned about this latest installment in the series? This quote is especially disconcerting: “And the compounding coincidences he requires in order to deliver a happy ending are almost disgustingly dishonest.” Although, this is exactly what TFA brought us so it might be the perfect marriage here. No comment from this peanut gallery, but special thanks to our friends at BanthaSkull.com for alerting us to this interesting Friday story.